Balancing toy.



H. FREDRICK.

BALANCING TOY.

APPLICATION nuzu 55.21.1915.

1,235,306. Patented July 31,1917.

.; nr rare BALAnciNe TOY.

Application filed February 21, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY F REDRIGK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Balancing Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a balancing toy and is adapted to afford amusement by reason of the skill required in causing the device to remain in a vertical position, the toy also cultivating a control of the fingers that is advantageous to the person using the toy.

The invention is an egg-shaped structure, preferably hollow, which is adapted to be balanced on its pointed end, being placed on a table or other smooth fiat surface and by'patience and good control of the fingers it can be made to assume and keep a vertical position without any exterior support.

The invention is further designed to provide a toy of this kind which can be provided with an internal structure through which a weight can be passed by a person conversant with the structure so that, if desired, the device can be put into a condition where it is possible to balance it and can also be put into a condition so that it is impossible to balance it on one end.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a section of the improved toy, this section also containing a view of an internal fixture by means of which the location of the weight can be controlled. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fixture shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a fixture of a modified form of construction.

The body portion, which is preferably in the form of an egg, can be manufactured so that it has its weight equally distributed through a meridian line or a line passing through its long axis. The egg-shaped body portion can be made of many different materials, but I prefer to make it of metal, and a light metal such as aluminum is found to be desirable for the purpose. The body portion 10 in the drawing is shown hollow and consists of two portions 11 and 12 which are fitted together as at 13 and can be permanently secured at this point so as to make it impossible to separate the parts. The pointed end 14: of the egg-shaped body portion is the end on which it is adapted to be balanced. The hollow egg-shaped body por- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 31, 1917.

SeriaI No. 79,434.

tion can be balanced on the pointed end, and, if desired, the pointed end le can be slightly flattened to make the feat a little more easy, but even with a flat end it is dii'licult of execution unless considerable practice is had with the device. The body portion may be provided with a weight, the illustration showing the weight in the form of a ball 15 which is made of substantial weight and is preferably a solid ball of steel or similar heavy material, and in order to seat it more firmly in the pointed end, said end can be slightly recessed as at 16 to form a seat for the ball.

"When the body portion is placed on a flat surface, such as a table, and supported on its pointed end 14, the ball assists in holding the device in a perpendicular position after it is once balanced, but it takesconsiderable skill and patience and a good control of the nerves to hold the egg-shaped body portion in its perpendicular position long enough to allow it to get its equilibrium or balance, and then release it from the slight touch of the fingers and leave it in a perpendicular balanced position. If it is desired to make the feat harder and to all outward appearances impossible, the weight 15 can be shifted and held in a position where it is impossible to balance the device on its pointed end. Such position of the ball 15 is illustrated in dotted lines at 17 in Fig. 1, the fixture illustrated in Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 2 consisting of two disks 18 and 19 connected by av sleeve 20. The disks fit inside the shell of the body portion and are perforated to permit access to the sleeve. The sleeve, however, has an inclined partition 21 arranged across it and has openings 22 and 23 above and below the partition, these being preferably arranged on opposite sides of the sleeve.

It will thus be seen that by manipulating the body portion and tilting and turning it at certain angles the weight can be made to pass from one side of the fixture to the other. For instance, if the ball is in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the body portion can be manipulated to make the ball enter the sleeve 20 at the top and pass out through the opening 22. The ball then rests on the disk 19, and the device can be further manipulated to makethe ball pass through the opening at the lower end of the sleeve 20 and assume the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. The movement of the ball through the fixture is not easy on account of the tendency of the ball to remain on the outer edges of the disks 1S and 19,

and a slight twirling of the device causes the.

centrifugal force of the hall to hold the ball away from the opening in the center of the fixture. A person, however, familiar with the interior construction of the device, which information can be imparted in a circular sold or issued with the de ice, can readily operate it to cause the ball to change its position.

In Fig. 3 I show a modified form of fixture, and it will be evident that still further modifications can be made, but this modifi cation is illustrated to show one manner of making another fixture. In this fixture the disks 2% and 25 are connected by a sleeve 26 which is cut away at one side, as at 27, and one of the disks, 1n this form the disk 25, is cut away as at 28 so that it is necessary to pass the ball through the sleeve and then around to the opening 28 before it can. he passed through the whole fixture. The hole 28 is usmlly placed on the side opposite the opening 27 so that the ball must travel around the disk 25 after it is deposited thereon in order to permit the hall to drop through.

The device can he made very cheap and can be supplied either as an article for sale or can be made cheap enough to give away as an advertisement, the outer surface providing ample space for the printing of advertising matter t iereon.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A balancing toy comprising a hollow egg-shaped body portion having a comparatively heavy ball therein, a. fixture in the body portion, the fixture comprising upper and lower disks having openings therein, and a sleeve connecting the disks and adapted to have its side provided with an opening whereby the weight can be passed through the fixture but cannot pursue a straight path therethrough.

A balancing toy comprising hollow egg-shaped body portion having a comparatively heavy hall therein, a fixture comprising a pair of disks,,a sleeve connecting the disks, the ends of the sleeve being open and the disks being perforated in line with the openings, the sleeve having openings in its opposite sides, and an inclined partition between said side openings.

in testimony that I claim the foregoing, I hereto set my hand, this 19th day of February, 1916.

HENRY FREDRICK.

(Juries 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eaten-ts Washington, 33. Q. 

